The Author! Author! series began in 2012 as a way to expand the literary landscape in Central Oregon while raising funds for the Deschutes Public Library Foundation. During the last 11 seasons, the Library Foundation has hosted numerous authors who have won Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Awards, and Edgar Awards, among other literary prizes. And now, with this year’s slate of authors, we can add Poet Laureates as well as Oregon Book Award, and Oregon Music Hall of Fame winners to our list. 

The 2025 Author! Author! slate includes: 

Ellen Waterston — Thursday, April 3, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. | Caldera High Auditorium 

Ellen Waterston was named the 12th Oregon Poet Laureate in August 2024 for a two-year term. Waterston has published four collections of poetry and three nonfiction titles. Her latest book is We Could Die Doing This, a collection of essays. She is the recipient of the Stewart H. Holbrook Award and the Soapstone Bread and Roses Award, as well as winner of the Obsidian Prize in Poetry and two-time winner of the WILLA Award in Poetry. In addition to her work as an author, Waterston founded the for-profit Writing Ranch and two literary arts nonprofits. Waterston lives in Bend, Oregon. 

Willy Vlautin — Wednesday, May 28, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. | Tower Theatre 

Willy Vlautin is the author of seven novels and is the founder of the bands Richmond Fontaine and The Delines. Vlautin has been the recipient of three Oregon Book Awards, The Nevada Silver Pen Award, and was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. He was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and was shortlisted for the Impac Award (International Dublin Literary Award). Three of his novels—The Motel Life, Lean on Pete, and The Night Always Comes—have been adapted as films. His novels have been translated into 11 languages. Vlautin teaches at Pacific University’s MFA in Writing program and lives near Portland, Oregon, with his wife, dog, cats, and horses. 

“The community response to Author! Author! continues to expand,” says Author! Author! Project Director Chantal Strobel. “Central Oregonians continue to be engaged in and committed to the literary arts. Being able to bring such high-caliber authors to the region—year after year—is really a testament to our community and the value they place on books, learning, and community conversations.” 

General admission tickets are just $35 per event. 

“The Author! Author! series serves as a fundraiser for the Deschutes Public Library Foundation,” says Strobel. ‘The Foundation’s goal is to make the author presentations affordable while also raising money for Deschutes Public Library programs and services that are not funded by tax dollars.” 

Tickets are available online at www.dplfoundation.org. The 2025 Author! Author! season is made possible by ticket sales and generous sponsors.  

For more information, visit the Deschutes Public Library Foundation at www.dplfoundation.org.